There has been a noticeable drop in numbers of summer migrants close to where we live in the Martletwy area recently. Most of the hirundines seem to have departed and we have not seen any house martins here for a couple of weeks or so. However it was nice to see a party of five juv. spotted flycatchers feeding in the trackside willows, during a butterfly transect walk through Pickle Wood this afternoon. These might have included birds from the nearby Blackpool Mill area where at least one pair usually breeds.Judging by their plumage etc, these five had fledged fairly recently.
